The Lion King (DVD, Platinum Edition; Features an All-New Song)

Wild Africa is the setting for this animated tale of a young lion cub whose evil uncle usurps his father's crown and lets hyenas overrun the kingdom. Dodging danger and befriending some oddball characters, the cub wanders until the day he's ready to return. Songs by Elton John and featuring the voices of Whoopie Goldberg, Cheech Marin, James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Jeremy Irons. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including 3 for Best Original Song. Academy Awards: 2, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song (Elton John and Tim Rice: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight").

Simbaaaaa....This film is one of Disney's greats! Love this from beginning to end, can and have watched over and over again over the years. A great film!

Enjoy!~~~~~~

This great epic of kid-friendly animation was a huge hit when it first came out over a decade ago and again when it first hit the shelves on DVD. To anyone who enjoys animation and watches this film, it is easy to see why it has become such a success. The characters are very relatable to kids and adults alike, and the story is very epic and tackles some good moral issues, tracing the rise of Simba, the lion cub who is destined to be King.

I would give this film a 5/5, but I can't give it that for the simple reason that Disney obviously stole this whole story concept from an old Japanese manga comic book called Jungle Emperor Leo, which was later adapted into an animated Television adaptation shown in the U.S. first in 1965 under the name Kimba The White Lion. The worst part of the controversy though is that Disney has gotten away with it despite all the blatant similarities between the two movies. It's obvious that someone had to have been influenced by this, though Disney has stuck to their guns, claiming no knowledge of the old Japanese story. This shouldn't take away from the greatness of Disney's many films, including the Lion King though. It's just an unfortunate tarnish on their reputation, especially since they refuse to admit their fault.

So, my advice is enjoy this great movie the Lion King, and if you really love it, try to find a copy of of the source material, or check out the 1997 feature-length adaptation of the Japanese story, Jungle Emperor Leo, also available now on U.S. Region 1 DVD. The Lion King May Be Essentially A Remake, But It's A Remake Done Very Well And Adapted For U.S. Audiences.....unfortunately just without giving credit where it is due.

DVD Features:
Available Subtitles: English, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Disc 1: 2 Versions - Special Edition (featuring a new song) and original theatrical release both digitally restored and remastered
Deleted scenes
Audio commentaries
Sing along track
2 music videos including "Circle of Life" performed by the Disney Channel stars
Disc 2: Go beyond and explore the complete worldwide phenomenon in five areas: Animal Journey, Story Journey, Stage Journey, Film Journey, and Music Journey
Exciting games with all-new animation: Virtual Safari, Grab A Grub, Pesonality Profile & Sound Sensations
2 navigational platforms

Disney's THE LION KING SPECIAL EDITION features an all-new song, "Morning Report," and never-before-seen animation, giving you even more of this award-winning masterpiece -- the greatest animated adventure of all time. An unforgettable story, breathtaking animation, beloved characters, and Academy Award(R)-winning music (Best Original Score, 1994; Best Song, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight") set the stage for the adventures of Simba, the feisty lion cub who "just can't wait to be king." But his envious Uncle Scar has plans for his own ascent to the throne, and he forces Simba's exile from the kingdom. Alone and adrift, Simba soon joins the escapades of a hilarious meerkat named Timon and his warmhearted warthog pal, Pumbaa. Adopting their carefree lifestyle of "Hakuna Matata," Simba ignores his real responsibilities until he realizes his destiny and returns to the Pride Lands to claim his place in the "Circle of Life." Now extensively restored and remastered -- experience THE LION KING like never before, from its magnificent musical opening over breathtaking African vistas to its emotional climax. The all-star vocal talents -- including Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Ernie Sabella -- rip-roaring comedy, and uplifting messages of courage, loyalty, and hope make this timeless tale entertainment for all ages.
-- From Amazon.com

Let's get something straight right now. The Lion King is a perfect movie. Be it live action or animated, there are few others I can list that reach its level of quality. Seeing it in theaters back in the mid-90s was a great experience. Even if I wasn't old enough to understand some of the darker issues in it back then, I enjoyed the movie, like the millions of other kids. Now, at almost 20, watching the movie really gets to me. This is one of Disney's more grown up movies. I'm not saying that to make it sound like it's too violent or there's any hinting at mature themes, but all the talk about death in the beginning, about the Circle of Life, that's some pretty powerful stuff to be talking about in a family movie. With this re-release of the movie, hopefully more parents or future parents will keep it around and show their kids this piece of movie history.

The movie opens up with possibly the most grand of Disney openings- a sunrise. An African song plays, and the animals look towards something that we can't see. Every type of animal in the area starts heading towards something. Birds, elephants, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, you name it. Soon, we see a great rock formation- Pride Rock. A lion stands atop, overlooking everything in his kingdom. Then, a mandrill makes his way through the crowd of animals that waits. He hugs the lion, and makes his way to the lioness behind him. They've had a baby. The mandrill takes the cub, and holds him high up for all the animals to see. They cheer in unison- they have a new prince. Some opening eh? After this, we're introduced to another lion- Scar. He's the king's brother, and obviously jealous of the whole deal. He didn't even show up to the ceremony. Mufasa, the king, makes a note of this, telling Scar that he should've shown up for his own nephew's birth. Scar walks away, as it's no big deal to him. Time passes, and Simba grows up a little. He's still a cub, but capable of doing things on his own now. Mufasa tells him about the Circle of Life. How all living things are connected. Lions eat the antelope, but when they die, their bodies become the grass, upon which the antelope eat. Simba is also shown his kingdom, which is everything that the light touches. Unfortunately, the light doesn't touch one spot, which sparks his interest...of which Scar helps him get even more curious about. It turns out to be an elephant graveyard. Simba heads toward it with his friend, Nala, and they almost get killed by heyenas. Mufasa saves them, is disappointed that his son disobeyed, but understands. Scar, who's working with the heyenas, is also disappointed, and takes matters into his own hands- since they failed in killing Simba, he's going to kill Mufasa. In doing so (in a very tragic scene), Simba goes into exile, and Scar takes over. Simba finds two new friends in Timon and Pumbaa, who teach him to take life easy. But with time, the true king realizes who he is through his friends, and there will be justice.

As you can see, this is a pretty big movie. It's not complicated by any means, but just the overall picture is a lot to take in. A dad telling his son about life and death, only to die in saving his son who hasn't reached adulthood yet, was always touching. The music playing during that scene adds even more dramatic touch to it. Scar, as I've mentioned, is an absolute treat. He's probably my favorite Disney villain.

This film is, to put it mildly, one of Disneys top masterpieces! The Ben-Hur of Animated features! Two key ingredients to this films great success is the unique and catchy songs written by Sir Elton John himself, as well as the legendary musical theatre lyricist Tim Rice and the outstanding and varied cast of all star voice actors, including Matthew Broadrick, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons as one of the nastiest Disney villans ever. Hans Zimmers Oscar winning score is both emotionally stirring and awe inspiring, topping off some of the most stunning animation ever to grace the screen! This King comes out on top!